


i do believe your galaxy (i want to listen to your melody)

by Insanitea007



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, And writer's block, Apologies for any inconveniences, Boy-Who-Lived Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy Is A Disaster Gay, Fluff, I'm so tired, It's a stressful time guys, M/M, Mutual Pining, No Beta, Not Canon Compliant, Orphanage, Pining, Role Reversal, The Floating Orb, We Die Like Men, You Have Been Warned, also procrastination, but noooooooooo, cos of coronavirus, don't expect regular updates, i was sleep deprived when i wrote this, i'm seeing hallucinations that's fun, no update schedule, plus all the work, that my school s making us do, to put all our classes online, writing a single conversation would be easy, yeet, you'd think that after slamming out a couple hundred essays
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21858976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insanitea007/pseuds/Insanitea007
Summary: Draco Malfoy thinks he's an ordinary boy, just a bit lonelier and sadder than most other children - until an owl drops a letter into his porridge and a tall, rather greasy looking man comes to take him to a magical school. He's a bit sceptical at first (who wouldn't be, what if it turned out to be a scam to get his money, not that he had any) but he makes friends and actually does well in classes here.Now if only that entitled prat Harry Potter would leave him alone.Or, alternatively:"How dare you, Malfoy! My father will hear about this!""...Why do I feel like something's wrong?"
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley
Comments: 52
Kudos: 147





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what this is. I was feeling inspired so have fun. I'm so tired.

It had only been a few hours since the death of the Malfoys and the disappearance of the Dark Lord, and the wizarding world was already dissolving into chaos. Partygoers lined the streets, drunkenly setting off fireworks and cheering loudly. Even the students of Hogwarts were joining in, crying and hugging each other in the hallways.

The nightmarish reign of Voldemort had ended, and a new golden era had been ushered in. Across the country, wizards and witches celebrated, raising their glasses to the sky in a silent salute.

***

Severus Snape ran a hand down his face, releasing a heavy sigh. He leaned against the wall of a building, watching the entrance to the driveway carefully. The Disillusionment Charm he had placed on himself was starting to wear off, so he refreshed it, rubbing at his tired eyes.

He had been waiting for quite a while now, and his legs were sore from standing up for so long. It shouldn't have taken Dumbledore long to get here with the child, yet here he was, waiting outside an orphanage even after the sun had gone down.

As if on cue, a loud roar echoed around the silent neighbourhood as a large black motorbike descended from the sky, landing on the road with a sputter. The streetlights winked out one by one, leaving the street in darkness, the headlights of the motorcycle the only source of light.

Speak of the Devil and he shall appear, Severus thought wryly. He pushed himself off the bricks of the building and walked towards the tall figure that had just cracked into appearance next to the motorbike, cancelling his Disillusionment Charm as he moved.

The rider of the bike swung himself off in a fluid movement, pulling off his helmet and tucking it under his arm as he shook out his black curls. Severus felt his lip curl at the sight of his childhood bully.

"Black," he said curtly, nodding to the man.

"Snape," Sirius Black said, returning his nod with one of his own. The men then proceeded to ignore each other as best as they could, turning to look at the eccentrically-dressed man standing before them.

"Dumbledore," they said in sync, then turned to glare at each other. Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled under his half-moon spectacles as if he were amused by this whole exchange, and Severus very desperately wanted to punch him.

"Now that pleasantries are out of the way, let's get down to business," Black said, stepping towards the sidecar connected to the main body of his motorcycle. He reached in and pulled out a carrier, the type that most muggle families would use to hold their newborn children. Inside the carrier lay a baby, his silver eyes peering curiously at the group of men clustered around him. Running down the left side of his face was a jagged lightning scar, starting from his forehead and ending at his chin.

With a squeal, the child raised both hands and reached towards Severus, making happy gurgling noises as he tried to grab the Potion Master's face. Severus grimaced and turned his face away, closing his eyes to fight the onslaught of tears threatening to fall down his face. If the rumours were true, then he had lost the only friends he had had while in Slytherin, and his godson had just lost a father and a mother.

Taking a deep breath, Severus composed himself and turned back to Draco Malfoy, lifting his gaze to stare at Dumbledore.

"Is it true?" He asked, allowing Draco to grab onto his pinkie. "What they're saying? That the Dark Lord is _dead_?" Dumbledore nodded, watching the child play with Severus's finger.

"Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are dead," he said softly. "Voldemort went to find them last night, and he failed to kill their son. Somehow his power broke - and that's why he's gone."

"You mean to say he couldn't kill a child?" Black said sharply. "That after all the people he's tortured and murdered, he couldn't kill a baby?"

"I think that something went wrong," Dumbledore corrected gently. He picked up the carrier and took it to the veranda of the orphanage they were standing in front of, the two men following him.

"Why couldn't someone from the Wizarding world take him? Why must he live at a muggle orphanage?" Severus demanded, feeling an odd sense of protectiveness rise in him.

"Because he would be worshipped," said Dumbledore, looking seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"

Severus and Black shared a look and nodded, seeing the merit in his words. Dumbledore set down the carrier gently, putting his hand into his cloak and withdrawing an envelope, slipping it inside the blankets.

"Well," Dumbledore said finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."

The three men turned and walked back down the street, Sirius Black mounting his motorcycle as he flew back to his family, glad that the Potter's were safe. Severus Snape apparated back to his office at Hogwarts, pulling open his liquor cabinet and pouring himself a generous helping of firewhiskey, allowing himself to indulge, just this once. Dumbledore clicked his silver Put-Outer once and the orbs of light returned to the street lamps. He spared one last look at the bundle lying outside the orphanage's door.

"Good luck, Draco," he murmured before he turned and disappeared.

At that moment, the wizarding community would celebrate the defeat of the worst Dark Lord they had seen in centuries, and throughout it all, they would whisper one name with awe and joy: Draco Malfoy, the boy who lived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeet yeet fish.


	2. Chapter 2

It was three days 'til Draco's birthday. No one had said anything, and there would very likely be no fanfare, no gifts, no cake. He hadn't been expecting anything, but it still stung to watch the matron of the orphanage give Lewis, who shared his birthday, a pair of new gloves without even sparing a glance at Draco. 

It wasn't even their birthday yet.

Matron Anna had always favoured Lewis. Draco had seen the countless treats and gifts she'd sneak to him when she thought no one was watching, had seen the hugs she would give him when he went to her room when a particularly bad thunderstorm hit, had seen the kisses she placed on his forehead when she tucked the children in.

This meant that Lewis thought that he superior to the other orphans, terrorising them and stealing their possessions. He wasn't particularly big, or strong, or smart, but he had power and he knew how to use it, which meant that most of the other orphans were terrified of him. He particularly disliked Draco, especially after that incident where his hair had turned an alarming shade of green when Draco had caught him snooping around his journal.

Lewis had run to Matron Anna, but she couldn't punish Draco because there was no proof that he'd been the one who did it. No amount of washing had been able to get the colour out of Lewis's usually brown hair and it had stayed that way for a month, changing colours every week. 

To Matron Anna, Draco was the devil. She had hated him since he could remember, making sure to give him punishments whenever she could. Once, she had locked him in the attic when Lewis had accused him of punching him. The attic had been dark and musty and it had been impossible to see. The air seemed to solidify around him, choking him as tears of terror streamed down his face.

Draco had been scared of the dark ever since.

He sat at his table, spooning through his bowl of bland porridge. He sighed and raised his spoon to his mouth, dejectedly getting ready to shove the slop into his mouth when the screaming started. Startled, he dropped his spoon and looked around the dining room, searching for the source of the panic.

That's when he saw a bird attacking Lewis.

It was an owl and it was flapping furiously, brown feathers dislodging from its wings and floating through the air. Its claws were outstretched towards Lewis's face, which he had been shielding using his arms. Matron Anna was trying her best to hit it with a wooden spoon and failing. Draco stifled a laugh, watching as the owl moved out of Matron Anna's reach. He noticed that it was holding something white in its beak, and when he squinted, he could see that it was a letter.

An owl delivering a letter? He shrugged. It wasn't the strangest thing he'd seen.

Matron Anna gave up on trying to hit the owl, taking a small to catch her breath. When she seemed to have regained her strength, she lifted her spoon and pointed at Draco, shooting him a glare of pure loathing.

"You," she said, panting. "This is all your fault."

The owl seemed to hear her and stopped its attack, settling down on Lewis's head. It turned its head a whole one-eighty degrees to stare at Draco, much to the awe and disgust of the other children. Draco shifted in his seat, hiding as best as he could behind his bowl.

Then, without warning, the owl launched off Lewis's head and flew towards Draco, making him yelp in surprise and scramble backwards off the bench, landing in a heap on the floor. The owl rolled its eyes and dropped the letter it was holding onto the table where Draco had been sitting, then took off out an open window. Rubbing the back of his head where he had hit it on the floor, he pushed himself back onto the bench and looked around for the letter, grimacing in disgust when he found it.

It had landed in his porridge.

Using his spoon, he fished the letter out of his bowl and pinched the corner of it with two fingers, letting the clumps of porridge still on it fall back to join the rest of the slop.

In green, spindly words, the envelope read:

Mr D Malfoy

Room 12

St Martha's Orphanage

Marylebone

London.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's very short and I'm very stressed, but have another chapter!

Draco fell onto the dusty attic floor, the air rushing out of his lungs with a _whoosh_. He scrambled up immediately, diving towards the closing trapdoor with an outstretched hand to try to prevent it from shutting.

He was too slow.

The trapdoor closed with a deafening _thunk_ as Matron Anna padlocked it shut, leaving Draco in complete and utter darkness, terrified. His breaths started to come out in short, quick pants, and there was a tingling on his back that felt like a million spiders running up and down his spine. Tears trickle down his face and he clenched his eyes shut, hugging his knees to his chest. He doesn't bother trying to scream and fight to be let out, he knew from experience that it would be useless and a waste of energy.

Draco Malfoy really hated the dark.

Getting the letter wasn't even worth it. He hadn't even had time to open it before Anna had stomped over, her nostrils flared and breathing heavily. Draco would have found it funny if it weren't so terrifying. Anna had ripped it out of his hands, immediately grabbing an arm and dragging him to the attic, him kicking and fighting all the way.

And now here he was. In the dark, alone, cold and terrified. What a time.

He sat down next to the trapdoor and flopped onto his side, finding some comfort in the tiny sliver of light that escaped past the edges. He curled up into a fetal position so that his head rested on top of his knees. Idly, Draco realised that his kneecaps slotted perfectly into his eye sockets and chuckled dryly.

After a few minutes of lying in the dark, perfectly still, the light from the trapdoor wasn't enough anymore. The darkness seemed to be getting thicker, almost tangible, filtering into the air that was filling his lungs and choking him.

He hugged his knees tighter, shutting his eyes as if it would help. _I need light_ , he thought desperately. _I need light, I need light I needlightIneedlightIneedlightpleasestopthis._

And then, all at once, the darkness dissipated. The back of Draco’s eyelids was painted a bright fleshy pink instead of the pitch-black they had been before, something that shouldn’t be possible in the dark attic. _Unless,_ Draco thought, feeling his heart soar. _Matron Anna decided to let me out early_. He sat up hopefully and was greeted by a very strange sight.

The trapdoor was not open. The source of the light came from a small floating orb that hovered in front of Draco, shining with a steady blue glow, cheerfully swaying from side to side.

"What?" Draco blinked. Then, as the scene in front of him finally registered, he launched himself backwards with a yelp, trying to put as much distance between him and the orb. The orb followed him. It flitted around, drawing closer to Draco as he scrambled away, stopping only when he felt his back press against the wooden planks of the roof. The orb floated closer until it was barely a few inches in front of his face.

Then it flew in and booped Draco on the nose. While the boy was stunned, it drew back and flew lazy circles around his head, hiding in his hair and playing with his fringe. Once Draco had calmed down a little, he realised that it wasn’t a perfect circle like he had originally thought, it was more of a blobby shape, constantly changing, never remaining the same.

 _It was a very pretty shade of blue,_ he thought.

As if it could read his thoughts, the orb emerged from where it had been rolling around in his hoodie and bumped against his cheek softly. Like before, it didn’t seem to be tangible so Draco couldn’t feel touching him, but there was a warm presence that tickled slightly.

He raised his hands and cupped them around the orb, bringing it down so that he could stare at it without twisting his neck. It sat in his palms, still intangible, but staying still politely.

“Wow,” he murmured, watching it change shape into a slightly different blob. It glowed bright enough to illuminate quite a bit, just enough so that he could see the floor underneath him. He let his arms fall to the side and the orb hovered in front of him, pulsing with a gentle blue light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, should the Draco's glow-in-the-dark orb friend have a name? And if so, what should it be? I'm thinking either Orbeez or Bob the Blob. Lol, kidding. But do let me know what you think in the comments!


	4. Chapter 4

"Right," Draco said, cross-legged, the floating orb hovering near his shoulder. "Right, there's a floating glow-in-the-dark thing, and I'm probably too calm for this situation, considering the fact that I've been stuck in this attic for ages now."

The orb didn't respond.

Draco buried his head in his hands. He was grateful that he had light, but he had been in the attic for _so_ _long_ and his stomach had started growling. He had chosen not to question the existence of the orb-

"I should probably name you," he said, thinking aloud. "I've been calling you 'the orb' for way too long now."

The orb (what would be a good name for a floaty, sometimes-spherical object that had appeared out of nowhere?) seemed to brighten up at this, its steady glow becoming stronger. It was cute, Draco thought, in a strange, mystical way. He poked it and it skittered backwards, following the finger when he withdrew it.

With the orb lighting up the area, it was easier to see the attic. It had been too dark to see anything properly all the times he had been sent there previously and only then he could truly appreciate how dirty it was. Scattered around the room were various objects covered with white sheets and a thick layer of dust, left there and forgotten.

Draco pushed himself up off the floor and stretched, feeling the joints in his aching legs pop as he dusted off his jeans. He walked towards the nearest object, a tall, rectangular shaped thing covered with the same white cloth, bound with a rope around the middle. The orb followed him, lighting up the way as it zoomed excitedly around his head.

He held an arm across his face so that his mouth and nose were covered, lifting the cloth carefully, the disrupted dust floating up into the air like a cloud.

"Woah," Draco whispered after the dust had settled. Underneath the fabric stood a grandfather clock made of dark wood, its glass dirtied and cracked. It was silent and still, its pendulum paused mid-swing, its arms permanently pointing to 3:15. The glass door was slightly open and when Draco moved closer, he thought he could see something sitting at the bottom of the clock, but it was too dark to see what it was.

He opened the door wider, cringing as the rusted hinges made an awful squealing noise as they slid against each other. Without prompting, the orb flew in right up to the clock, and Draco tripped over his own feet in his attempt to stumble backwards, falling onto his back.

A low, sibilant hiss rang through the room and the snake that had previously been sleeping inside the grandfather clock slowly uncoiled and rose so that it was eye level with Draco. And then, somehow, impossibly, the hiss translated into perfectly understandable English.

"Which idiot dares to awaken me?" The snake said, tilting its flat head, the s's long and pronounced. Draco's eyes widened and he screamed, scrambling away from the snake. The orb floated closer to the snake, then reluctantly flew back to its previous place in Draco's hood. 

"You're-" he said, pointing at the snake. Then he paused. He had already seen a flying orb appear from nowhere, was a talking snake really that strange? 

Draco thought back to the _incidents_ that always seemed to happen around him, the times when he would close his eyes and when he opened them again, he would be standing in a completely different place. Or like the time Lewis and his friends had stolen all his clothes and he had been forced to walk around in his pyjamas, he had wished so hard that they would stop laughing and their mouths had immediately closed as if they had been zipped up.

But still, this snake was different. The other times he could pretend that it was normal, with a perfectly reasonable explanation. The time he went from Point A to Point B without remembering how he got there? Maybe he just spaced out for some time. And even if it seemed that no time had passed, maybe he was just really out of it. When Lewis's hair had turned green, maybe someone had just swapped out all his shampoo with hair dye ( _although we all share the same shampoo and no one else's hair changed colour_ , his traitor brain whispered). 

The snake untangled the rest of its body and slithered closer to Draco. Panicking, he tried to think back on that book he had read on reptiles, and how you could tell if a snake was venomous by looking the pattern on its skin.

"You speak?" The snake said, its, using Draco's distraction as an opportunity to curl around his legs and climb up, until the snake's head peered at him over his knees. 

"Um, excuse me?" Draco said, blinking. Being polite never hurt anyone. "I suppose I do speak." Now that he was feeling less panicked, he realised that the snake was tiny. It? He? She? They seemed like a female, though Draco didn't know how he knew that.

She was barely wider than Draco's pinkie, and couldn't be longer than ten centimetres. Her scales were a silvery-green colour, transitioning into a yellow as it neared her belly.

"No," the snake said, shaking its head in frustration. "You _Speak_." The snake seemed to think that that explained everything perfectly, though Draco was still confused.

"Alright," Draco said, deciding to just let it go. "Um, do you have a name I can call you?"

"Snakes do not have names like you walkers do," the snake said, her tongue flicking in and out. "But I suppose you may name me if it makes you happy."

"Right," Draco said. Now he had two things that he needed to name, and he was very close to just choosing the first name that popped into his head and calling it a day, but he had always been a bit of a perfectionist. He wanted the names to suit them, to _mean_ something. He would have to take time to think over it before he came up with anything, and he told the snake so. 

Satisfied, the snake nodded. "Not too long, though. I'll get impatient."

"Alright," Draco said. The orb peeked out from his hood where it had been hiding the whole time, and once seeing the danger was over, happily flew back out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still no names, bUT NEW CHARACTER. I love her with all my heart.


	5. Chapter 5

Draco sneezed, the sound echoing through the attic. He resisted the urge to rub at his watering eyes, the itch getting almost unbearable. He had hoped that he would be able to avoid agitating his dust allergy, but considering the fact that he was stuck in an attic that probably hadn't been cleaned for a good few decades, it seemed inevitable that five minutes after he had found the snake living in the grandfather clock, his allergies had started acting up. His face had swollen up, and he would bet his left kidney that it had turned splotchy and an unattractive shade of red.

The snake, which he still hadn't thought of a name for, had wound herself around his torso and was perched over his shoulder, twisting her head around so she could stare at his face.

"Is this normal for humans?" She said, her eyes wide with fascination. "Do you featherless chickens all turn red like this?"

Draco sneezed again and the glowing orb, now named Lux (a word he had seen in one of the Latin books that were dotted around the orphanage, and it seemed fitting) that had taken to floating worriedly around his head jumped a little in the air as he did, as if the sound had startled it.

"Sometimes," he answered, his voice stuffy. "It's called an allergic reaction."

"An allergic reaction?" The snake said, her head tilted sideways. "What is that?"

"It's when, uh, when people eat or touch or breathe in things that, that their bodies don't particularly like, I suppose," he said, trying to find the right words to explain properly.

The snake nodded in understanding. "So it's like that time my nestmate ate a strange bug and died afterwards. Are you going to die too?"

"Erm, I hope not. Not for a while, anyway."

"I see."

"I never did get to ask, what were you doing inside a grandfather clock?"

"Oh? I live there. I got in through the ceiling. The roof tiles are loose."

"What were you doing on the roof?"

"I like tall places."

Draco nodded. "That doesn't explain anything, but alright."

There was nothing the snake could say to respond to that, so the silence stretched on. There should've been many topics he could discuss with a talking snake and a floating, glowing sphere thing, but still, they sat, stewing in the awkward silence, and Draco was starting to feel fidgety. His still-swollen face itched and reached up to scratch it, trying hard to think of a good conversation starter.

As they sat quietly, the noises from below the attic became clearer. There were screams and yelling, voices clamouring over each other to be heard. They were too muffled for Draco to understand what they were saying, but the anger was easy to hear.

The snake shifted on his shoulder and hissed angrily, interrupting Draco's thought process. Lux, which until recently, had been floating lazily near the snake's head, snapped to attention, its light dimming significantly.

Draco frowned. "What's wrong?" He whispered, worried, gently petting the snake's coils that were loosely wrapped around his neck like a scarf.

"Another human is coming," she said, her tongue flickering in and out as she tasted the air. "It's the female one from before. I don't like her." Lux bobbed up and down in agreement, and Draco felt the fear dissipate as if it were never there. It was replaced with the welcome warmth of relief because finally, finally, he was going to be let out.

The attic wasn't as bad as it used to be. What had once been dark and dusty was now slightly less dark, but still just as dusty, but that didn't mean that a few years worth of hatred and fear would be resolved in a single session of let's see how impossible things can get.

The snake hissed again, coiling up tighter and poking her nose into the neck of Draco's hoodie.

"I'm staying with you. I like you," she said, giving him a pointed look as she climbed down his shirt, earning herself a high-pitched squeak from Draco. "But don't let me be seen. Can't stand that human. She kills all the rats. And before you go, make sure you pull the cloth back over the clock. It keeps the spiders out."

"Alright?" Draco said, the word coming out as a question, shuddering at the feeling of cold scales sliding over his skin. Lux brightened up a bit and rearranged itself so that it was no longer round, but long and thin like play-doh that had been stretched out. Now that it could fit, it drifted into his hoodie pocket, the muted light shining through the fabric.

"Um, excuse me?" He said to his shirt, feeling very stupid. "How far away is she?"

"What?" The snake replied, the outline of her curled-up form just visible. She wasn't a large snake, and fit rather well around his neck, using the hood to hide her tail.

"How far away is Matron Anna? How long is it going to take her to get here?"

"Eh, like now."

As if summoned, the trapdoor rattled as the Matron started to undo the locks. Lux dimmed until its light was almost completely extinguished, only visible because of how dark the attic was.

With a creak, the trapdoor opened and light poured into the room, illuminating what had previously been in almost complete darkness. Matron Anna's head poked out from the doorway, a scowl visible on her face.

"Well?" She said, the keys clinking in her hand. "Are you coming or not? There's someone here to see you. Says he's from a school."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo I just noticed that some things don't add up in the previous chapters so I'm going to go back and edit them. Apologies if ao3 keeps saying that I've updated when there aren't any new chapters. KUDOS AND COMMENT PLEASE THEY ARE MY LIFEBLOOD


	6. Chapter 6

When Severus walked into the office of the orphanage, he was unsurprised to find Draco Malfoy shuffling around in the wooden seat beside the Matron's desk, his feet dangling a few centimetres off the ground. His shoulders were hunched in on himself, and he seemed to be fidgeting with something in his hoodie pocket.

The Matron stood at her desk, a stiff smile set on her large face, her hands behind her back.

"Good afternoon, Mr Snape," She said in an oily voice, her smile never wavering. Severus nodded in response and took a seat in front of the desk, subtly sliding his wand out of its holster, hiding it in the sleeve of his Transfigured suit.

"I believe you know the reason I am here today?" He asked, being careful not to look at Malfoy, though with the way he was squirming in his seat, it was quite difficult.

"Of course, of course," the Matron said, taking a seat as well. Huh, seems like he wouldn't have to Confund the woman after all. "You're a teacher from St Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys, was it? I've heard that it's an excellent place."

Severus knew she was lying because he had made up the school ten minutes ago. It was obvious that Malfoy hadn't been receiving proper care at the orphanage, from the fact that the Matron was willing to forgo any of the proper procedures required when looking after a child and not do any background checks on imaginary schools, but it was convenient for him so he would ignore it. 

For now.

***

After details had been sorted out and false, newly conjured documents had been signed, Severus asked to have a private conversation with Malfoy.

"Of course," the Matron said graciously, her smile more genuine now. "I'm so glad you're taking him off my hands. Draco here really needs the discipline. Just this morning, he caused a lot of trouble, the cheeky thing. Sent some letter from a _magic school_ to himself somehow, can you imagine?" She ruffled Malfoy's hair, perhaps a little harder than necessary, and he ducked to get out of her reach, shrinking on himself even more.

Severus nodded, his face souring more than it already was, and waited until she left the room. Once the door had clicked shut behind her, he slid his wand out of where it had been hidden in his sleeve, casting a quick locking spell and a _muffliato_. Once he was satisfied that no outsiders could overhear their conversation, he turned back to Malfoy, who was watching him, his head tilted, face expressionless.

"What was that?"

"Magic," Severus said, twirling his wand, allowing a few sparks to shoot out of the end. To him, it was a mere parlour trick, nothing more, but to Draco, who had grown up among muggles, it was impossible. He stepped closer. "It's magic. I'm a wizard. _You're_ a wizard, Draco."

"You're shitting me."

"I assure you, I am not," Severus said, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at the eleven-year old's language, but offered no further comment. He walked around the room and peered at the bookshelves, waiting for Draco to make the connection himself.

"Oh man, I'm a wizard," he heard Draco whisper to himself, his carefully maintained blank expression shattering, and he allowed himself a small smile before wiping it off his face and whirling around.

"I'm assuming you understand?"

"Well, obviously not everything, but certain things do make sense now," Draco said, his brow furrowed in thought. His posture was still stiff, his shoulders up against his ears, but he was sitting in a much more comfortable position than before.

"Alright then, any questions? Let's make this quick before that woman comes back in."

"Ok, um. Uh, what was that thing you did with your... wand? It's a wand, right? It's not called anything else is it?"

"Yes, it's a wand."

"Wicked, I thought so. What was that thing you did with you wand before? When you did that swooshy thing at the door?"

"That 'swooshy thing', as you so eloquently put it, was a Muffling Charm," Severus said dryly, the imaginary inverted commas almost tangible. "It's a spell that creates a buzzing sound in the ears of anyone who's in the vicinity, so we that have privacy."

"Alright then, I'm assuming that the owl that dropped a letter into my porridge today morning also has something to do with this whole wizard business?"

Severus frowned. Muggleborns, or in Draco's case, magical children who grew up with muggles, weren't supposed to receive a Hogwarts letter via owl. It must've been one of the rare, but not impossible, errors in the Hogwarts mailing system, and he resolved to have it checked once he returned. 

"Yes, that was supposed to be your school letter. Though you weren't supposed to get one, I'll fix that. And while we're on the topic, this is your letter. It contains information on what you'll need for the school year." Severus pulled out the letter from inside his blazer and handed it to Draco, who accepted it with wide eyes. 

"Well? Go on, open it," he said, suppressing the smile that threatened to split across his face at the ferocity the boy tore into his letter, eyes skimming it hungrily. 

Severus waited for Draco to finish, then cleared his throat. 

"I'll be back on Saturday to take you to Diagon Alley to buy your equipment."

"What's Diagon Alley?"

"It's a magical shopping area. It's in London. I'll take you there, stop worrying."

"Alright then. Oh _man_ , I'm a _wizard_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while to write, whoops.

**Author's Note:**

> The title's from Magic Shop by BTS. ANY FELLOW ARMY'S HERE? Also, Harry Potter belongs to Ms J.K Rowling. The story belongs to me, other than the few bits of dialogue I took from the original book.


End file.
